Revolving matte-car.



J. G. KILKER.

REVOLVING MATTE GAR.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 2, 1909.'

921,999, Patented May 18, 1909.

2 SHEETS-"SHEET 1.

Patented May118, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

J. C. KILKER.

\ REVOLVING MATTE GAR.

APPLICATION FILED JAN 2 1909 921,999a

JAMES C. KILKER, OF EAST HELENA, MONTANA.

REVOLVING MATTE-GAR.

Application filed January 2, 1909.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, JAMEs C. KILKER, a citizen of the United States,residing at East Helena, Lewis and Clark county, Montana, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Revolving Matte-Cars, of whichthe following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to the apparatus and the processes em loyed in thereduction of metallic ore in bllist furnaces and the like, and isparticularly concerned with improvements in apparatus for, and themethod of, handling the matte from such furnaces.

In accordance with the methods at present employed the matte is run offinto comparatively deep receptacles or vessels which are afterwardconveyed to a suitable point where the matte is allowed to cool, afterwhich it is broken up into sizes suitable for the further processes ofreduction. The difiiculty encountered in this manner of handling thematte is that by reason of the comparatively large masses into whichthe. matte is formed, the cooling process takes a considerable length oftime and considerable force is required to crush the mass to the propersize to prepare it for subsequent processes.

The object of my invention is to provide means for running off the matteinto conveniently positioned comparatively shallow vessels or pans,whereby it will be formed into thin cakes or masses, which not only coolrapidly, but may be easily broken up or reduced to the required size.

A further object of the invention is to provide means which will preventthe matte, when discharged from the receiver of the blast furnace, fromspilling over the sides of the receptacles or pans into which it isdischarged from the receiver; and a further object is to devise a methodfor handling the matte, whereby burning out of the cooling pans Will beprevented, and finally to improve such methods generally.

I/Vith these and other objects in view, the invention consists in theprocesses hereinafter described, and in the apparatus, a preferredembodiment of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, inwhich Figure 1 is a perspective view of an improved matte car shown inposition to receive the matte from thedischarge spout of the blastfurnace receiver. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the matte car with some ofthe cooling pans removed therefrom for clear illus- Specification ofLetters Patent.

Patented May 18, 1909.

Serial No. 470,482.

tration of the construction. Fig. 3 is an end view in vertical sectionof the parts shown in Fig. 2, one of the pans being shown in dumpingposition. Fig. 4 is a detail view of one of the cooling pans employed inthe apparatus.

In the embodiment of my invention herein selected for illustration, theso-called matte car consists of a suitable frame 1 mounted upon trucks 2adapted to run upon a railway adjacent the blast furnace, whereby thepans of the matte car may be brought beneath the discharge spout 3 ofthe blast furnace receiver 1.

Upon a suitable standard 5 secured to the frame 1 of the matte car, ismounted a rotatable sleeve 6, to which is secured a pan support 6, whichmay be of spider form, as here shown, and comprises the radial arms 7having suitably secured to the ends thereof a wrought iron ring 8 bywhich the arms are connected together and reinforced, which ring alsoforms a support and tilting ledge for the matte pans 9. The upper end 10of the sleeve 6 of said support is provided with an adjusting screw 11,which is arranged to o erate in a threaded aperture 12 in the top ofsaid sleeve and has its end properly shaped as at 13 to receive asuitable adjusting tool or wrench. A lock nut 14 may also be rovided tohold the sleeve and consequently the matte pan support in adjustedposition at the proper height above the frame of the matte car and withrespect to the discharge tube 3 of the furnace receiver 4'.

While I have here described a particular form of support for the mattepans, it is to be understood that the same may be varied in detail as bycasting the same in a single piece as desired. The matte pans 9, as hereshown, preferably have the outline of sectors of a circle and the rearwall 15 of each pan is pref erably formed perpendicular to the base orbottom 16 of thepan, with an easy curve 17 joining said wall to saidbase, whereby the matte will be the more readily freed there from. Theforward or outer end of each pan is formed with an inclined dischargesurface 18 terminating in a reinforced lip 19, whereby when the pans aretilted to dumping posi tion, as illustrated in Fig. 3, the mass of mattewill be readily discharged therefrom. The discharge of the matte isfurther facilitated by the flaring outline of the pans from the rear tothe front or discharge end.

In order to retain the pans upon the support 6 during the dumpingoperation, a rotatable stop frame is provided, consisting of the arms20-20 and the stop bar proper 21, which connects the outer ends of saidarms and is preferably formed in the arc of a circle concentric with thecircular outline of the pan support 6. The stop frame is rotatablyconnected with the sleeve 6 of the support 6 by means of a hub 22 andthe arms 23-23 to which the frame arms 20 are secured, as by bolts 24.The sleeve 6 is provided with a shoulder 25 between which and the hub 22of the stop frame, a washer or bearing ring 26 may be interposed. By theconstruction just described, the stop frame may be rotated to anydesired position over the matte pans 9 and to that side of the car atwhich the dumping operation is to take place, so that when the ans aretilted, as shown in Fig. 3, to dump the matte therefrom, the stop framewill engage the upper ends of said pans to retain them upon the frame 6without interfering with the dumping operation. Each of the pansfurthermore is provided on the bottom with a shoulder 27, which engagesthe rim 8 of the support 6 to properly posi tion the pans upon thesupport and to retain them thereon during the dumping operation.

The furnace receiver 4 is provided with a suitable matte tap 28,controlled by a tapping rod 29. When the matte is to be run off from thereceiver, the car is ositioned beneath the spout 3 as shown in ig. 1,and as the tapper opens the. matte tap 28, a second operator revolvesthe support 6, together with the matte pans 9, beneath the end of thespout. Owing to the shallow depth of the matte pans, it is essential tosuccessful operation that the matte may be run off slowly from thereceiver 4. To this end the spout is made of curved form as shown,whereby the friction of the matte against the sides thereof will retardthe flow sufficiently to insure an easy discharge into the matte ans.The curved form of the spout also enables the tapper to .work toadvantage in opening and stopping the tap hole.

By revolving the support carrying the matte pans during the discharge ofthe matte, each of the pans is partially and gradually filled step bystep, whereby the matte is stratified in the pans and each stratumbecomes oxidized, all of which renders the mass easily friable. The hotmatte never strikes for more than an instant at any one place, therebypreventing the burning out of the ans or molds, which is a seriousdefect in t e methods heretofore employed, and furthermore, the matte isdischarged uniformly into each of the pans. The matte pan support shouldbe given about eight or ten revolutions in order to fill the panscompletely. If the pans are caused to revolve too rapidly, the liquidmatte will be thrown out by centrifugal force. 1f revolved too slowly,it is difficult to fill the pans evenly.

The pans will hold about 200 lbs. of matte 7 each, or approximately 3200lbs. per car.

While 1 have here described a support for the matte pans which isrotatable relatively to the vehicle by which it is carried, it is to beunderstood that the invention also contemplates broadly a constructioninwhich the pan support and vehicle may be fixed rigidly to one anotherand that in the filling operation the entire apparatus may be made torotate, as for example upon a turn table.

As soon as the matte has crusted sufficiently-in the pans, whichrequires but a few moments, the loaded car is conveyed to the dumpingpoint where it is allowed to stand until the matte is cool enough todump, as into a railroad car, by which it is to be conveyed away forfurther operations.

While I have herein shown and described a preferred embodiment of myinvention, it is to be understood that the same may be altered indetails and arrangementvof parts without departing from the spirit andscope V thereof.

What I claim is:

1. A matte handling apparatus comprising a matte pan support, a vehicletherefor, a plurality of shallow matte pans carried by said support, theadjacent sides of successive pans being contiguous, said support adaptedto be actuated relatively to said vehicle to bring said panssuccessively under the point of discharge of the matte, said pans beingarranged to be tilted on said support charge the matte therefrom.

2. A matte handling apparatus comprising a rotatable matte pan support,avehicle to distherefor, a plurality of shallow matte pans carried bysaid support, the adjacent sides of successive pans being contiguous,said support adapted to be rotated relatively to said vehicle to bringsaid pans successively under the point of discharge of the matte, saidpans being arranged to be tilted on said support to discharge the mattetherefrom.

3. A matte handling apparatus comprising a matte pan support, a vehicletherefor, a plurality of matte pans arranged in a continuous circle onsaid support each pan gradually shallowing from its rear to itsdischarge end, said support adapted to be rotated relatively to saidvehicle to bring said pans successively under the point of dis' chargeof the matte, said pans being arranged to be tilted on said support todischarge the matte therefrom.

4. A matte handling apparatus comprisin a matte pan support, a vehicletherefor, a plurality of shallow matte pans carried by said support theadjacent sides of successive pans being contiguous and adapted to betilted to dumping position, and means to retain said pans on saidsupport when so tilted and to limit their tilting movement.

5. A matte handling apparatus comprising a matte pan support, a vehicletherefor, a plurality of matte pans carriedby said support and adaptedto be tilted to dumping position, and a stop arm extending over saidsupport and adapted to limit the tilting movement of said pans.

6. A matte handling apparatus comprising a matte pan support, a vehicletherefor, a plurality of matte pans carried by said support and adaptedto be tilted to dumping position, and a lug on the bottom of each panengaging the periphery of said support to retain the pans thereon whenso tiltedv 7. A matte handling apparatus comprising a rotatable mattepan support, a vehicle therefor, a plurality of matte pans carried bysaid support, said support adapted to be rotated relatively to saidvehicle to bring said pans successively under the point of discharge ofthe matte and a stop arm mounted on said vehicle and rotatablerelatively to said support whereby said arm may be positioned over saidpans to retain the latter on said support when tilted to dumpingposition.

8. A matte handling apparatus, comprising a matte pan support, a vehicletherefor, a plurality of matte pans each having its bottom inclined fromthe rear to the discharge end carried by said support, said pansarranged to be actuated to bring the same successively under the pointof discharge of the matte and to be tilted on said support to dischargethe matte.

9. A matte handling apparatus comprising a matte pan support, a vehicletherefor, a plurality of shallow matte pans carried by said support theadjacent sides of successive pans being contiguous, said apparatus beingarranged to be rotated to bring said matte pans successively under thepoint of dis charge of the matte said pans being arranged to bepartially tilted on said support to discharge matte therefrom, and meansto limit the tilting movement of said pans.

JAMES C. KILKER.

V /itnesses:

P. A. MOSMAN, F. M. SMITH.

